Milton Tembelis, MD is an interventional radiology fellow at Georgetown University Hospital. Like many physicians in training, his days are filled with procedures and patient care, along with a growing amount of administrative work that pulls him away from both.
“I love procedures. I love reading imaging,” Milton says. “What I don’t love is spending hours pre-rounding, protocoling, checking labs, and sitting behind a computer.”
That gap between meaningful clinical work and the administrative burden surrounding it is what first made him curious about working with Mercor.
When Milton moved from New York to Washington, DC for fellowship, the financial pressure set in quickly. He and his wife were carrying overlapping housing costs, raising a young family, and living on a fellow’s salary.
“After five or six years of training, you get a little sick of it,” he explains. “You’re working nonstop, but financially you’re still barely treading water.”
Like many residents and fellows, Milton looked into traditional options like credit cards, personal loans, and moonlighting. Each came with tradeoffs: more stress, more patient-facing risk, and even less time to recover between shifts.
Training AI to Handle the Tasks Doctors Don’t Enjoy
Milton first heard about Mercor through a co-fellow. What surprised Milton wasn’t just the pay. It was the work itself.
“I thought I’d be reading scans for AI,” he says. “But my project was different. I was training AI to do the tasks we don’t like doing.”
Through Mercor, Milton works on AI training projects focused on streamlining clinical workflows. This includes things like pre-procedure preparation, protocoling, and administrative review that take physicians away from patient care.
Rethinking What a Medical Career Can Look Like
Beyond financial relief, Mercor changed how Milton thinks about his career.
“Working with Mercor made me realize there are additional career opportunities for radiologists beyond clinical care,” he says.
Today, he sees AI not as a threat, but as an inevitable and useful tool in medicine.
“AI is coming whether we like it or not,” Milton says. “We should be part of shaping it. Especially as doctors. It’s going to benefit us, and it’s going to benefit patients.”
Why He Recommends Mercor to Other Medical Professionals
Milton does not hesitate when asked if he would recommend Mercor.
“I’d 100% tell another medical professional to do it,” he says. “I’ve sent it to friends in anesthesia and PM&R. People who want flexibility without burning out.”
For him, it is straightforward:
- Predictable weekly pay
- Work on your own schedule
- Meaningful contribution to medical AI
Looking Ahead
As Milton finishes fellowship and looks toward his attending career, Mercor remains part of the plan. Not just as supplemental income, but as a way to stay involved in shaping how AI supports clinical medicine.
“The less time we spend doing computer work,” he says, “the more time we get to actually do our jobs.”
That is the future he is helping build.